My comments concern the production and actors, or their characters, in lower-budget, nearly forgotten, American movies which have not totally held up well over time. My conversational writing style will include details which I find interesting, odd or funny. Generally, plots are not revealed, only how the characters fit into the plot or how they equate with real life as opposed to Hollywood's thinking.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1969)

This film is perhaps
better titled, “The Film that Blew Too Much.” For a supposed
secret agent spy yarn it is bogged down for a lack of action, a lot
of talk and a convoluted plot, tiresome script and boring
performances by the principle players. The opening music reminds one
of the typical Sixties beach party films. The score gets more
appropriately “007ish” as the credits role, however. The music
editor’s blew it, though, with some repetitious themes with no
benefits to the action. None worse than when our hero is walking
through the inside of an airliner while a burping brass score sounds
as if the players were sight reading. Funny, wobbly, if not out of
tune. The choreographed scuffles using obvious stuntmen and paper
furniture keeps the realism dangerously low. The faked high
performance engine sound effects from the (apparently) “Ferrari”
knock-off—whatever
it is—was
probably mandatory coming a year after “Bullitt.” On the other
hand, the gunshot sound effects are rather impressive in a film where
everyone apparently carries a .44 Magnum.

Former CIA spy, Adam West,
with the cheesy name of Johnny Cain, spends his retirement running a
nightclub and is reluctant to leave his comfortable lifestyle. But
the CIA's David Brian needs him more than ever. A committee known
ironically as, WEST, also want his services. There is a big build up
of his credentials as if they are expecting to hire Rambo. But one
gets the feeling West is about as menacing as Woody Allen.

West's job is to find out
who murdered a mob kingpin unceremoniously and literally dumped at
his nightclub. The killing is an early step by the committee to have
the Communists methodically take over the crime syndicate. So West is
out to bring down WEST. We find him bouncing from one co-star to
another to solve the crime and stay alive. Location filming normally
helps these spy movies and that is one redeeming quality. Yet in “all
this excitement” West remains quite comatose. A character that is
so laid back he simply appears to be lacking sleep most of the time. But what a tan!

The film gets no lively
help from deadpan co-star, Nancy Kwan, either. Bland Kwan relies on
her attractiveness to the end. So it is up to Buddy Greco's
performances to resuscitate the film, doing
what he did best in this, the first of his two films. A Buddy Greco
Film Festival making for a short evening. Always available and
dependable, Nehemiah Persoff, hangs in there throughout the film as
the police lieutenant and West's part-time protection.

Despite
fawning “Batman” fans, Adam West simply does not sell the role in
this supposed career upgrade. He never completely leaves Bruce Wayne
behind. West fans will probably love it for that very reason. Being filmed in color may be its most noteworthy quality.
Filmed in grainy black and white, it would be another B-movie. Which
it is, of course, in any coloration. The film may not rank as the
worst budgeted film of 1969 but it still ranks.